Fear and Agony
by xXJadeDragonXx
Summary: Pitch finds a romantic interest who loves him for who he is and wants to help him. They get into a serious relationship when she tragically dies. But love doesn't die so easily and the Guardians might just have another problem on their hands. Pitch x OC with possible Bunnymund x Jack Mature for later violance, drugs, and the smutty chapters
1. Chapter 1

This is a romance story with Pitch Black from RofG and my OC. While I do have pretty much the whole story in my head, I'll see how this first chptr goes first. It might start of a little slow, but I hope you enjoy. :)

Mara gazed out her window at the golden sand that visited every child. She knew that none of it would visit her to drift her off to sleep, but she still liked to watch. At age 19 one would think Mara wouldn't even believe in the Sandman, let alone watch the work he did. But she had always been like that, from a very early age she had a belief in everything, and had even seen Santa and the little tooth fairy. At first her parents were happy to indulge her, but as she got older they worried if she was having delusions. So what if she still believed in magic and the unseen? Mara soon realized she was better keeping her believes to herself, even getting to the point where she secluded herself from everyone else.

Turning from the window she went back to her drawing table. She didn't sleep often, ever since she "grew up" she never had the same dreams as she did when she was a child. She picked up one of her old drawing and stared head in hand. It was covered in sketches of misty black horses, and a dark figure that looked human. Something from a nightmare she had when she was young, though she could never remember much. Setting it aside, she resumed her current work. The dark figure sat astride one of the horses, set on a hill against a stormy sky. Though she couldn't remember much from that dream she was sure that figure was a man, though she wasn't certain he was human at all. She had researched to see if maybe she got him from some fairy tale, but could find nothing. "Maybe he's the Boogeyman." she chuckled as she finished the horses glowing eyes. Satisfied with the finished work she turned her light out and flopped on the bed, waiting for sleep to come.

"Hey, there goes Miss Creepy. What cha doin today little goth girl?" Rolling her eyes at the boys jeers she kept walking as if she didn't hear them. Just because she liked wearing dark colors and keeping to herself doesn't make her a goth. She did admit she likes the style and mixed it with her own, but she never took the label. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" Mara shifted her bag more securely as she headed for the woods outside Burgess. Suddenly she heard something whiz through the air and a sharp pain hit her in the back of the head. "Ah!" grabbing the back of her head she turned to see the group of boys all pick up more rocks. Not waiting to see what happened next she ran.

As she ran though the forest she could hear the boys crashing after her. She had spent a lot of her time in these woods, and could move quickly and quietly, but she needed a place to hide. Looking back she tripped over a low bush into a clearing. Picking herself up she noticed a hole just big enough for her a few feet ahead. Crawling forward she saw it was deep enough that she wouldn't be seen. Without a second thought she tumbled in, sliding down until she hit the bottom. As she looked around the dark chamber she had fallen into the thumping of footsteps stopped over head. Mara held her breath as she listened for their voices. "Where'd she go?" "I don't know, maybe the little witch flew away." "Ah, I'm bored anyway, let's go."

As the footsteps faded Mara listened a bit longer before breathing a sigh of relief. "Stupid boys, act like such savages..." muttering darkly to herself she stood and brushed the dirt from her clothes and hair. She glanced at the hole she had fallen through. There was no visible way to go back up that way, so she decided to explore for a bit. Cautiously she made her way until she found a large room with large cages hanging from the ceiling and some glowing globe in the center. "Whoa, it's like some weird dungeon or something." Mara approached the globe and touched one of the lights. It had no visible power source, yet didn't go out when she covered it either. "Magic?" she wondered out loud as she searched for something that would make it glow.

"Would someone your age really believe in magic?" a smooth british voice questioned from the shadows behind her. Startled, Mara whipped around to find the source, "Who's there?" She looked all around but saw no one. "Oh, you can hear me?" the voice sounded intrigued, and plotting. The shadows to her left shifted, but before she could respond Mara was thrown into the nearest cage. A sinister chuckle rang though the air.

I'll stop it here, if you like it let me know. Course to be honest I plan of finishing it whether anyone likes it or not :p


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry if it's a bit short, I'm trying to make sure I post as a write. I'm also going a bit slow just in case I get a better idea and change my mind. Thank you to all the people who have loved it so far, I hope you look forward to the rest as much as me :)

p.s. I will be covering other p.o.v.s as I write, I think it gives the story a bit more depth. Thanks for understanding.

Pitch had been brooding down in his lair since his defeat 13 years ago. He had tried to build his power back up, but to no avail. Children just didn't fear him enough, or they would run to their parents who would calm their fears all too soon. He was stuck slinking in the shadows, away from the light, the Moon, and that cursed Jack Frost that lived all to close to his home. He didn't even have to power to leave and make a new lair, so he remained stuck in this new prison. He bared his teeth in disgust, he had to find fear strong enough to give him even an ounce of his strength back. Just on cue he smelled fear in the air, almost as if he had wished it into being. Fusing into the shadows next to the hole that served as his only entrance, he edged as close as he dared to the light to listen to what happened above. He could smell the scent of fear getting stronger, closer. A shudder of absolute delight ran through him. He heard a body trip not too far from the entrance, the source of the fear drew closer and then threw itself down.  
Pitch quickly moved to the shadows in the corner just as the figure landed on the floor. The fear was the strongest he had felt in years, and he could hear its rapid heart beat as it fought to catch its breath. A satisfied and cruel grin crossed his face as ideas ran though his mind. The figure sat up quickly to survey the room, black hair falling down in disheveled waves around its thin shoulders. Pitch narrowed his eyes as he studied its features a bit more. Pale skin, wide dark eyes, thin and delicate features. And as the figure turned to listen to the footsteps above, revealed that it had a woman's bosom. *A woman?* His eyes widened slightly in surprise, *A young woman, of age though not an adult.* He thought as he gauged her age quickly. The dark man's mind worked for a bit before he shrugged his shoulder's slightly, *fear is fear, might as well give it a shot.* He followed her at a distance as she got up to cautiously proceed forward.  
Pitch knew that there was a possibility that she wouldn't see or hear him, but he could feel her fear give him strength, which meant there was a chance that she could. He could feel her fear starting to fade though, which meant he had to find a way to build it back up. He settled in the shadows behind her as she started to study his globe. *It seems that she was running from some kind of danger.* he thought to himself, *That may be the key, making her fear for her life. Or maybe it's fear of pain?* As he mused her heard her whisper the word "magic" as if she thought that's what made the lights glow. A wry smile crossed his face "Would someone your age really believe in magic?" His tone was meant to be sarcastic, and to himself. But she whipped around as if she heard him, and he sunk deeper in shadow. "Who's there?" he could hear the fear in her voice as her heart started to race again. The Nightmare King now wore a cruel and gleeful smile, "Oh, you can hear me?"  
This day just got all the better. With a flex of his hand he summoned black sand from the shadows to her left, tossing her into the nearest low hanging cage. Sealing the cage closed he chuckled darkly with satisfaction. The girl recovered quickly, getting up to shake the bars to no avail. "Let me out!" she shouted as she tried to kick the bars. Oh the sweet smell of fear, Pitch breathed in deeply and sighed happily. "No dear, I don't believe I will." he stated simply as he appeared from the shadows in front of her, a smug smirk as he eyes her hungrily. What ever color that was in her face drained as she fell slowly to her knees. That and the skip in her wildly beating heart was all the prove he needed to know she could see him. He couldn't help but smile widely as he fed on her fear.


	3. Chapter 3

I know it's a bit long, but I had to make up for the shortness of my last chapter. Minor cussing, plz don't get thy knickers in a wad since it will happen from time to time. Hope you enjoy :)

-  
Mara could only stare as the man had stepped from the shadows. Skin a palish gray, dark hair slicked back, and eyes the glowed golden with a hunger that frightened her. Her skipped a beat in its race a fear when she realized why he looked familiar. This was the man from her nightmare so long ago, the one who's face she couldn't remember but who's shadowy figure was etched into her mind. "Who are you?" she whispered as she watched him carefully. Everything about him reminded her off a black panther stalking it's prey. "My dear girl, I'm the Boogeyman." he smiled slyly, showing her pointed teeth. An odd expression crossed Mara's face before she started giggling slightly. "And what's seems to be so funny?" Pitch's face darkened as he approached the cage. *Oh shit.* her eyes went wide. She cleared her throat nervously while twiddling her fingers, "Well you see, just last night when I was drawing a picture, well you picture actually, though I didn't know it at the time, I was trying to figure out who I was drawing, since I didn't know it was you, and I thought to myself "What is he is the Boogeyman." and I laughed at first cause I thought it was a silly thought, but now that I do see you, and you said you were the Boogeyman, I was laughing cause it seemed ironic, ya know?"

Pitch had been approaching her cage slowly, are thickening around them with malice as she stuttered and rushed. He stopped just in front of her cage as she finished, hands splayed in a helpless manner and an expression that hoped to whatever gods that she had just saved her hide. The pale girl bite her lip slightly as he started at her. His expression changed as he realized what she just said. "How were you drawing a picture.. of me? I have not recollection of causing you nightmares, or of you even seeing me." The tension in the room eased as he looked at her questioningly. Was she perhaps mistaking her for someone else? Or could she be, by chance, on of the children who helped the Guardians all those years ago? Of course, if she was one of those children, she would have at least remembered what he looked like. Right? Mara sighed slightly in relief once the overwhelming pressure in the air disappeared. "Well, all I've had to go off of was some nightmares I had when I was little. I don't remember much but.." She stopped and looked for her bag. If she sowed him some of her drawing, he might believe her. It wasn't anywhere in the cage with her, quickly she went to the edge of her prison and searched the ground.

Pitch watched her cautiously, racking his memory. A nineteen year old girl remembered him from nightmares years ago. He moved slightly away from her as she started frantically looking for something. *Who is this child? I haven't been able to scare a child for thirteen years. Could she truly remember me from some nightmare that long ago.* She interrupted his thoughts as she pointed urgently to globe. "There, the black bag on the ground. There's a black book full of pictures, check it if you don't believe me." Golden eyes glanced at her suspiciously as he went to the bag and picked it up. He opened it slowly as if expecting it to be a trap. When nothing happened he peered inside. Several black books and bags of pencils greeted him. He looked up at her slightly annoyed, "Everything in here is black." He then noticed that everything on the girl was black as well. "It seems your not fond of color." he stated in a dry tone. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance, "It's the thickest one in there." she replies in an annoyed tone while completely ignoring his last sentence. *Why does everyone say that?!* she raged to herself as he fished said book out of her bag and promptly dropped. "Hey!" Mara's indignant cry was ignored as he flipped through the book.

Pitch shifted from the shadows on the floor to those on top of a cage near the black haired girl, crossing his legs and idly flipping pages as she watched him through the bars. The girl was indeed telling truth, several pages where filled with sketches of him and his nightmares. While his sketches were devoid of any facial features, he could tell they were definitely of him. His nightmare on the other hand were very detailed. *So the child did get a visit from me. Seems to have a bit of an obsession.* He paused at the detailed drawing of his riding a nightmare during a storm. "You do have quite a talent." he remarked as his finger brushed along a lightning bolt. Mara smiled slightly, she couldn't help being nervous as he went through the book. She never showed it to anyone, since the people who did go through it called her a freak. She bite her lip anxiously when his face darkened again. Pitch stared angrily at the picture of Jack Frost, resisting the urge to tear it out. He continued his way through the book to see if she had encountered any of the other guardians. There were several more of Jack, quite a few of Sandman, though he was always at a distance. There was a small amount of North, she had clearly never seen him face to face. The Easter Bunny was completely missing, and it seems she mistaken one of the mini Toothy fairies as the actual one.

"Clearly you have never actually met the Guardians." Pitch returned to the ground and dropped the book onto the bag. *Which means she isn't one of those children.* he thought with smirk. "Who are the Guardians?"He turned to her smiling darkly as she asked. "Oh, the Guardians? Why, their the protects of children's beliefs." he explained with a mockingly happy tone as he circled her, "They make sure that children have nothing but happy thoughts and pleasant dreams. Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Sandman, and even Jack Frost make sure they do everything can to protect you... for me." He stopped so that he was face to face with the girl, face neutral and tone serious. "I, my dear, am the one who feeds of children's fears, who reveals in their disbelief. I am the one who would put this world in a second Dark Age that would dwarf the first, and have everything ruled by darkness and fear."  
"Well there's no need to be a dick about it." Pitch looked back surprised and confused as the dark girl stared back with a bored expression. Rolling her eyes she flopped on to her back and stared blankly at the roof. "You monologue like every typical villain in a movie does." The Nightmare King bared his teeth in anger, "You insolent little.. Do you know who I am! What I can do!" he roared as a swirling mass of black sand surrounded them. Mara waved her hand at him pretending not to care, "Yeah yeah, your the Boogey Man and your gonna scare all the little kids. yada yada yada." Pitch's eyes darken with rage, "I should throw you into the abyss!" Clenching his fist the sand started to close in on her. "Oh would you shut UP!" Mara popped up and kicked the cage so hard it rattled. "Throwing a tantrum like that won't make me scare of you, it just makes you look like a kid." The sand pulled back slightly as she stared ack into black eyes, "Besides, how do you expect to get all powerful and crap if all you prey off of are kids?! You've got six people technically fighting over the same food source. If it's five against one, do you really think you could pull it off!" The gold started to come back to the Nightmare King's eyes. "Food source? I have never heard a human call children that in all my years." he eyed her curiously as the sand went back to circling them. "Yeah, well, that's technically what your doing isn't it?" Mara started to nervously play with her hair as her anger left.  
"And I suppose you have a better idea?"  
"Well.. Actually.. Yeah." The Nightmare King watched her intently, curiously, as she fidgeted.

"Well?"

"I'll only tell you, if you promise to let me out." He chuckled, "Darling, you can't make a deal if you have nothing of value to offer." Mara glared at his smug face, "It will work! I'll even prove it!" He got with inches of her so that all she saw were glowing eyes, "How?" Repressing a small shriek she backed up, "B-b-by helping you, do it. I'll tell you how you can get powerful, and then help you do it. But you have to let me go.." she paused to see if it would work. The Nightmare King thought for a moment, chuckling as her little heart beat. *Can't be too much harm. If it does prove useful I let her go and use her. If not I'll just keep her here till I bleed every ounce of fear out of her.* Mara fidgeted nervously as he stared at her with a sly grin and plotting eyes. "Go on, what does the little mouse have planned." She pouted for a moment before continuing. "Well kids really believe in anything you tell them. So naturally they would be live in the Guardians or even you. But as they get older, they lose that believe, or its taken from them by older kids or even adults. They're told that the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus aren't real. That's it's just their parent doing those things. And for those who believe in the Sandman or even Jack Frost are told that they are just an expression. But there is always one thing that everyone believes in no matter how old they are." Mara paused as she made full eye contact with the dark man. "Fear.." he finished her thought process, the gears of his own mind whirling. "Sure they might not believe in the Boogey Man any more, but there are still plenty of things to be afraid of. And plenty of people that jump when things go bump in the night." A small sadistic smile as she finished, "and if you scare them bad enough, you could make them believe in you. You get to grow from all the fear, and the Guardians would probably not even notice since it won't affect the kids."

There was a tense moment as Mara watched this man of fear contemplate her idea. slowly turning his back on her, he pretended to be lost in thought. "And how do you intend to help?" He could easily try this plan out for himself, but he enjoyed the thought of having a little thrall. "I could lead people near here. Spread stories, even set up traps." Pitch smiled widely, *And if all else fails I'll just bring you back here.* He chuckled darkly at the thought, it was a win-win for him. With a snap of his fingers the sand dispersed, he turned sharply and opened the cage with a flick of his hand. "Well dear child, I must say your idea is most impressive. All that's left to do is shake." He offered his hand with an evil grin. Hesitantly she took his hand, he pulled her out briskly and kept hold of her hand as she gained her footing. "What is your name my dear?"  
"M-mara.. Do you have another name I can call you by?" Golden eyes glowed triumphantly, "Pitch dear child. You may call me Pitch." Mara's heart skipped another beat in it's small tap dance of fear, *Dear Lord, I just sold my soul to the Devil."


	4. Chapter 4

Picking up where I left off. Some mild drama and more insight into some back story. Let me know what you think, I try and make the story as easy and enjoyable to read as possible.

Also because I forgot the disclaimer, I do not own Rise of the Guardians, just my OC. Just wanted to say that now so I don't have to repeat it.

Pitch released her hand and dispersed the wall of sand around them.  
"For this to work out properly we will need to find an agreement of sorts." he glanced over his shoulder as he walked back to the globe, "I assume you are still in school?"

"Y-yeah, almost finished. We'll be on Fall Break soon." she followed him hesitantly, "I'll be finished early actually, so I won't being going back when school starts again." She grimaced as she mentally slapped herself, *The fuck did I tell him that for?!*  
"Ah, an overachiever. Hopefully that means I will see the same amount of effort when you help me." Pitch eyed the lights idly as his fingers dusted the globe.

"Uh, yeah. I'll still have other stuff to do though, ya know. Won't be free twenty four seven." she laughed nervously, watching him snatch a small satchel she had filled with erasers from her bag and empty the contents.

"Of course, you mortals have a limited amount of time in which to do things. But I do expect you to do what ever little 'jobs' I assign you while you go about you days." Mara watched as he filled it black sand. Catching her eye as he tied the knot back, he shook it lightly before placing it back in the bag. "A little job for you. Place just a bit under every bed you can. Helps for faster travel. Oh, and that includes your own, just for added insurance should your idea fail." Mara gulped slightly at the dark smile he gave her as he handed her back her bag.

"I shall give you more orders later on. Now hold still little mouse, you'll be back upstairs in no time." Suddenly the ground below her gave way as she fell through shadow, landing on her rump under the trees a few feet from the lair. Mara got up and rubbed her sore behind as she heard his voice echo from the shadows around her.

"Remember dear child, I'm always watching. Don't disappoint me." With a shaky nod to know one she hurried through the forest toward her home.  
Mara slowly sneaked into her house and made her way upstairs. Luckily her parents were both still away on business so there no questions as to were she had been and way she had come back so late. Once in her room she quickly shut the door and curtains and left only her small lamp near her desk on. Placing her bag on the desk she slowly drew out a small satchel, opening it slightly to reveal black sand. She started at it a while as her mind flashed back to that dark cave. Yeah, she was so screwed. She rolled her eyes as she placed a it under her bed, *I've sold my soul to the Devil to get out of that place, and now I have to make sure he gets what he wants or else I'll just end up right back in that cage.* She sighed as she plopped onto her bed, tossing the satchel on her nightstand. He would probably milk the fear out of her till she died if she messed up. *Course he's a lot better looking than I would have thought.* Her eyes snapped open at that thought.

"Oh no, no you don't." she sat up and smacked her head a few times, "We are not thinking like that. Mr. Immortal-Creepy-Thing is gonna stay Mr. Immortal-Creepy-Thing. I'll be damned if we get some weird kinda crush on him. We already had one of those weird crushes and that was enough!"  
A whoop of joy and a crackling sound came from the window. Getting up slowly and pulling back the curtain revealed her window covered in frost. *And wouldn't you know it..* she left the thought unfinished as she opened the window and leaned out. Flying down the street was Jack Frost, doing his best at covering everything in a this layer of ice. Jack must have heard her open her window because he looked back quickly and beamed like an idiot.

"Mara! Didn't know you were awake."

Her face darkened as he flew back up to her roof. "Kinda hard to with all the noise you make." she stated in an icy tone.

"Aw come on, what's with the sour face?" Jack smiled innocently.

Mara sighed and rolled her eyes, "What are you even doing here Jack? October just started."

"Well, I thought I would start early. Winter isn't far away." Mara stared at him unconvinced. "What? It's not like I purposely came to bother you. I do live in this town ya know." Jack threw up his hands in mockingly as he acted offended.

Mara gave a grunt of exasperation as she ducked backed into her room. Jack quickly went after her and landed on her desk. "Ok, look. Even if I did come by on purpose, so what? We use to hang out all the time."

"Do you mind? Your getting frost all over my work." Jack sighed sadly as Mara began to move her things in an annoyed manner. "Are you still mad about what happened back then?"

"Yes I'm still mad!" Mara slammed the drawer she had just placed her things in, "Why shouldn't I be mad? You completely humiliated me!"

"Look, Mara, I said I was sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feeling back then, and I still feel really bad. I never should have said those things."

Mara immediately stiffened. "Oh?" Jack swallowed nervously. Whipping around Mara practically poked his eye out with and accusing finger. "Well maybe you should have thought about that BEFORE you said it!"

"Take it easy Mara, We all say things we don't mean from time to time." Jack hopped off the desk and started to back up as she followed him closely.

"OH? You mean like all of your little jokes you would play? Or they times you would lead the kids into teasing me? The times you would get mad and start fights with me when I ruined your fun? What about all the things you did? Completely ignoring me. Wanting to have nothing to do with me because I was too "depressing". You even decided to play a joke on me by pretending to date me, and then completely laugh in my face afterward!"

Mara stood in front of the cornered Spirit, face red and eyes watering. Jack's chest hurt as he saw how much pain she was in. He reached out a hand to comfort her, but she pulled away from him, staring at the moon in her window as she fought back tears.

"Mara.. I.. I'm sorry.. I never.. I didn't.."

Jack struggled for words, but he knew they wouldn't be good enough. She didn't lie, he had done those things. She had moved to Burgess when she was at the age when most kids stopped believing. When he found she could still see him, he was thrilled. He would often include her in on whatever fun he was making. And because she was a shy and seclusive girl, he teased her constantly. As she had gotten older, he found out she had a crush on him. Their friendship turned into something a little more, though they never knew what. He had never thought of dating her as a joke, but he also never took it seriously. That's were he had gone wrong, being use to children he didn't know how to at the time. His tightened his grip on his staff as he went through the painful memories. The fights, the teasing that slowly turned to snide comments. Ignoring her when he was around the younger kids, he even ignored her when the older kids started to bully her. She was right to be angry at him, even hate him, and he was ashamed at his actions. He had turned spiteful and cruel at some point, and by the time he realized it the damage was done.

"Mara.." He slowly walked around till he stood in front of her. She avoided his gaze, staring out the window, arms crossed protectively across her chest.

"Your right. What I did, all of it, was wrong. Saying sorry.. It won't fix the pain I've caused, and I don't know how else to make it up to you." He paused as her eyes softened, glancing at him before staring at the floor.  
"So.. I'll stop bothering you. I just... I hope one day.. You'll forgive me?" He stood there awkwardly for a moment. He reached out to touch her check, hand hovering for a moment as she closed her eyes and stepped back slightly. His hand dropped to his side as he hung his head sadly. He walked softly to the window, jumped onto the roof, and glanced slightly over his shoulder.

"Goodbye." He whispered before before flying into the night.

Mara opened her eyes and walked to the window. As Jack's shape faded into the distance, she slammed the window shut and closed the curtain. Flopping back onto the bed, she hugged her pillow tight as a single tear rolled down the bridge of her nose.  
-


	5. Chapter 5

skipping forward a week, some back story, little bit of cussing. blah se blah se blah. also, sorry for this being a bit longer than normal, I believe it's better this way instead or suddenly breaking it off. Also, if you are really gonna complain about it being to long, you are some lazy lazy people.

As always, thank you for reading, and enjoy.

Mara sighed as she walked back home under the early moon light, it had been a long week. First she had to sit through her classes day after day with boring teachers and high school bullies. She had sprinkled the Nightmare sand in every dark corner she came across, not sure if it would work, but it wouldn't hurt trying. Next was the babysitting. Parents trusted her more since she was more mature than the younger girls and was never known to cause problems. Not all of the kids liked her, but they learned to listen. She used games like hide n seek to place a bit of sand under every bed. She even placed some in coat pockets and unattended bags when no one was watching. She wasn't fond of the idea of people scared witless, but she didn't like the idea of what would happen to her if she didn't do what she was told. Mara figured she had done pretty good, and was looking forward to spending her weekend alone with out worries. She trudged up the steps to the house and unlocked the door.

"I'm home!" Mara hollered as she left her shoes by the door. She heard a yelp from the kitchen followed by cursing. Rolling her eyes she went down the hall to see what the fuss was.

"Jesus Mara! Could you not come in hollering so suddenly? Startled me so bad I nearly dropped dinner." Mara's petite mother was using a towel and her foot to wipe water from the floor while stirring what looked like lava in a pot.

"I don't know why your complaining, your the one who told me to "announce" my arrival." she leaned over her mother to turn the heat down. Her mother tried to glare at her in annoyance, but it was hard to look intimidating when she only came to Mara's chest.

"Well, it was either that or put a cow bell on you. You slink around so much I was constantly jumping out of my skin." The smaller woman started to put spaghetti noodles on two plates before topping them with the boiling magma that passed as sauce.

"I do not slink, I'm just quiet." Mara eyed the plate she was handed questioning as her mother sat at the table. "I'm guessing Dad's not eating?"

"He's at work." Eyes narrowed at the curt tone and Mara watched as her mother began to eat, making sure to make no eye contact as she started working on her laptop.

"Uh huh, I'm sure he is." When her dry tone failed to produce a reaction she turned and got a bowl down from the cupboard. "Well if that's the case, I'll be eating in my room." She dumped the food from the plate to the bowl and went to the stairs.

"You know how your father feels about you eating with the family." Her mother called after her as she went up to her room.

"If he really felt that was he would fucking be here." she retorted acidly, slamming the door behind her before anything more could be said.

Mara sighed darkly as her placed her bowl down with a thunk. It's the same thing all the time, and it pissed her off. Half the time her parents weren't even here, and when they were it was either only her mother making stupid excuses for her dad's absence, or endless fighting. Mara could never decide what was worse. The fact that her mother was so hopeless she protected a man who didn't deserve it, or that every and any time the both of them were in the house it was a war. She had tried to step in once, when the violence was too much. All she got for her troubles was a split lip and her mother telling her what a mistake she was.  
Mara shook with rage, *The only time she ever treats me decently is when _he_ isn't around. Once he steps foot in this house its like I don't exist! And then her tries to at like we're a happy family.*  
She walked to the window, pressing her forehead against the glass as bitter thoughts crossed her mind. She really did hate her parents. She hated her mother for being weak, and she hated her father for being the manipulating, controlling, abusive asshole that he was. The only reason her father never hit her like his wife was because he knew she would go to the police. She tried to call the police when he beat her mother, but the stupid bitch would always lie to save his ass.  
_"We can't get involved unless she files a case."_

The cops used that pathetic line when they tried to "explain" to her why there was nothing they could do. It was the most pathetic excuse she had ever heard. But she had told that fucker of a sperm donor that if he so much as touched her she would and could file a case, and then his ass was grass. Mara glared darkly at nothing in particular before drawing the curtain closed. Taking a deep breath she went back to her desk and plopped down in her chair. Taking a bite of dinner she flipped her desk light on and smiled in satisfaction. Pitch looked back at her with hooded eyes and an evil smirk from her notebook, waiting for the rest of his portrait to be finished. Leaning over she turned her stereo on before diving back into her work. She had to admit she found him fascinating, but he didn't need to know that.

/

Pitch had been able to tell that Mara was doing her job quite well. Everywhere she had placed his sand acted as a homing beacon, allowing him to use them as reference points of travel. He did find however that she wasn't just leaving the sand under beds. Several times he would appear in alleys, dark corners of rooms, or forgotten cracks and crevices. Fear was easy to bring out in children, but for the teenagers and adults it required a it of finagling. But after he had grown a bit from the fear of children, it became a bit easier. He found that the majority of the older generations had a lot of the same fears, the had just gotten better at pretending they weren't. He found that with a bit of encouragement, not only could he bring out the fear in them, but it was a darker and more powerful fear. He toyed with the idea that maybe, for a while, he really would leave the children alone. After all, with such a powerful fear that he could harvest from the minds of the mature, he might not even need them. When the week ended it seemed his little helper and dotted a good bit of the town, and local haunts in the forest, with his Nightmare sand.

*If she keeps up this pace, she might give me access to the whole town.* Pitch chuckled at the thought as he moved from the child who's dream he just stole, to the parents bedroom. Course, now that he thought of it, he might not even need her to spread more sand. The Nightmare King had enough power now that he really didn't need to rely on these points anymore. He paused in idle thought as the adults started to stir fitfully in their sleep.

*I might have to find a new job for her. Perhaps I should pay her a visit.* He disappeared, and one adult bolted awake.

/

The Nightmare King rose slowly from the shadows under the bed. With the curtains being closed, the only light in the dark room was from a small desk light. A quick look around showed that everything in the room was colored black, with only small splashes of color, like the red pillows on the bed.  
*This child might like the dark more than me.* chuckling at the thought, Pitch approached the desk that said girl had fallen asleep on. Her head rested next to a darkly colored page, ebony hair splayed across her shoulder and back. She looked peacefully, and strangely alluring as she slept. He leaned in for a closer look at the picture she had obviously been working on earlier. Pitch couldn't help but be surprised at the detail of, well, him. He was posed in in a casual manner among dripping red roses and writhing shadows.

"Aww, does someone have a crush on the Bogey Man?"

He hadn't actually planned for a reaction, so when she shot up in her chair and slammed the book shut he jumped back instinctively. She looked around with wild eyes before finally seeing him.

"Oh god.. It's you." she mumbled sleepily before slouching back onto the desk. Pitch couldn't help looking at her oddly since she had sounded almost relived.

"Who did you expect? Santa Claus?"

"No, worse."

*She is an odd one..* He admitted to himself as she rubbed her eyes drowsily.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well my dear, to tell you what an admirable job you've been doing." He smiled at her in mock pride. She stared back in a half sleep glare, unconvinced.

"I can barely conceal my excitement."

Pitch frown slightly at the dripping sarcasm, deciding to move on to business.  
"How are your story telling abilities?"

Mara looked up at him, a bit confused. "Pretty good I guess. Why?"

Pitch paed a bit to the covered window, "Because my dear, the sand as served its purpose. Now, I need you to convince others that there is a reason to be afraid." He turned to her theatrically, "You provide the story, and I'll will bring the action.

Mara stared at him with a dark expression, looked at her clock, and then back at him. "And you decided that three o'clock in the god damn morning was the greatest time to get this shit started."

Pitch shrugged nonchalantly, "I wasn't doing anything important at the moment."

Mara sighed in irritation, "I'm going to bed." Ignoring him completely she crawled unto her bed and buried her head under a pillow.

Pith pretended to be hurt, "Well. I don't know why you're acting like that. If someone hadn't been up last night obsessing over a crush.."

Mara jumped up before he could finish his sentence. "I do not have a crush! On anybody!"

Pitch smiled smugly as if to say, "Oh, really?" Mara blushed brightly and threw her pillow at his face. Pitch dodged easily and leaned against her desk, flipping to the page with him in the roses.

"Then what is this?" He held out the notebook and showed her the picture. Her blush grew a shade darker as she snatched it from him.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I was trying out new pens." She ignored his laughter as she put it under her pillow.

"Hoping to have good dreams." His golden eyes glinted playfully.

Mara rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Shut up. Would you go away, you already know I'll do what you say." She turned to hide her blush as he chuckled at her admittance.

Pitch appeared before her and gently traced her jaw line. "Well then, I will see you at a later time."  
Mara went to slap his hand away, but he disappeared laughing before she mad contact.

"I hate you!" she yelled to the shadow under her bed. She sulked on her bed, muttering about shadows and stupid men when there was a knock at her door.

"Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine Mom!"

She heard her mother's footsteps go away slowly, and a door click. Mara covered her face with a pillow as she flopped back on the bed. "I hate me life." she muttered into the pillow.


	6. Chapter 6

So sorry for the long wait, I kinda got stuck and things came up. I'll be doing my best to get back on a regular posting basis. I kinda cut this chapter in half, so the next have will be posted soon. As usual, thank you for reading, I don't anything but the OCs, and leave any ideas or suggestions if you have any.  
/

Mara only slept for a couple hours before her alarm went off. Turning it off quickly, she quietly peeked out the hall to her parents room. After a moment of silence she went down the stairs a little to peek downstairs. Satisfied that no one was up and about she back to her room and closed the door. Mara opened the curtains to let the early morning light in and started rummaging through her closet. She wasn't sure if her father had come yet or not, but she was determined to leave before he saw her. She pulled out a beat up duffle-bag and checked its contents. Adding money, hygiene products, several clothes, and her laptop to the current contents, her packing was complete. Mara was changing into some plain sneakers, black yoga pants, and a loose white shirt when her cell went off. Grabbing it quickly before it made too much noise, she read the message.

_Coming to Narnia?_

She smiled and texted back, "yes." Grabbing her bag, her coat and her keys, she hurried out the door and set off to the nearest bus stop. Mara never liked waking up early, but she had to if she was going to catch the bus to the next town over.

No one new about the little secret trips she took out of town, she kept that between her and her "crew". She had actually met these friends online on one of those gothic sites. They were all basically outcasts, even there. The freaks among the freaks. They came from several different towns, and met every other weekend or so. They came up with different code names for several hang out spots in the two towns next to Burgess. They also never really called each other friends, preferring the term as crew or crew members. This was because none of them knew who the others really were, all of them went by aliases and even dressed differently. All of them had different reasons why, some were more comfortable with it, some had trust issues, and others just didn't want to be ratted out. The caution was understandable, all their hangout spots were deserted building, and they weren't really supposed to be there. To be honest though, it was the only time Mara felt comfortable and accepted. She felt that she could really let go and be herself, when she was with her crew, she could rule the world.

Mara's thoughts were interrupted when the bus arrived. Picking a seat in the back, she settled in for the long ride

/

Mara stepped down from the bus and onto the sidewalk of Main Street. She yawned and checked her phone, it was around eight in the morning and the air was still cold. Pulling her jacket tighter, she took one step before she was tackled by a flash of blue.

"A-go-ny!"

Mara flinched as the voice squealed in her ear while she fought to keep her footing. After wrestling for a moment, she was finally able to dislodge the bouncing ball of joy.

"Jesus Bubbles, you almost knocked me flat on my ass."

Bubbles just did a little happy dance of joy and giggled. "But I'm just so excited."

Bubbles was the nickname given to the hyperactive sixteen year old who couldn't hold still for more than five minutes. With electric blue hair and a rainbow of a wardrobe, she was a five foot thing of loud and obnoxious. She was also the only one that Mara actually considered a friend.

"Hey, hey, we gonna go now? Jester said I could come get you, but we have to go right back."

"Yes, ok, ok!" Bubbles pulled her along like their lives depended on it

Mara sighed, ah yes, Jester. Where Bubbles was hyper and friendly, Jester was calm and alof. Jester was the leader, and the oldest one of the crew. Mara liked him as much as the others, but he never really showed a lot of emotions. The only thing that mattered to him was the safety and happiness of Bubbles, and any who crossed him or made his Bubbles unhappy were met with his creepy wrath. She giggles to herself, *He's almost like Pitch.*

"Whatcha gigglin at?" Bubbles looked at Mara curiously as she opened a back door to an abandoned theater.

"What? Oh, nothing." Bubbles frowned at Mara's dismissive comment before shrugging it off and bursting into the building.

"I found her guys!" Bubbles voice echoed throughout the theater.

"Dammit Bubbles, what have I told you?" Bubbles skip to the cool voice that had chided her.

Mara couldn't help but smile. Any other day this would just look like a run down, dusty theater, but when they were here, they turned on the lights and threw open the curtains. Out of all the rows of seats only the two front rows could really be sat on, but the stage was perfectly fine, and Jester fixed all the electrical equipment.

Mara checked to see if the crew were all there as she walked down the center aisle. There was Jester in the shadows lecturing Bubbles. All he wore were blacks and greys, even his eyes were grey, and he always had his straight black hair pulled back with only a few stray hairs framing his face. He was also the only one her natural height. Off to the other side were Stryker and Ginger. Stryker was the "Emo Punk" of the group, always wore dark leather or denim with just a dash of color, and all of it was ripped or wore in some way. He kept his hair cut and styled so it would cover half his face and dyed it black with red streaks. He was almost as tall as Jester, but skinny as a twig. Ginger was his girlfriend of sorts, it was a tense and dysfunctional relationship, but it seemed to work for them. She strictly wore a Victorian Gothic style of browns and greens, which showed off her paper white skin and curly red orange hair. Even though she was of average height, she always wore heels that made her as tall as Stryker.

"Agony, darling, how was your trip." Ginger walked away from a sulking Stryker to kiss Mara on both cheeks.

"Boring, I slept. What did you do to Stryker now?"

"Do? Darling, he does it to himself." Ginger smirked in his direction, he pretended not to notice.

Mara rolled her eyes, "Whatever. So are we doing this or what?" she called over her shoulder to Jester.

Jester nodded his head and gave Bubbles a pat on the head to end his lecture.

"YAY!" Bubbles sprang from her seat, ran to grab Mara by the arm, and dragged her over to center stage. Ginger followed after slowly, chuckling as Mara flexed her arm to make sure it was still in it's socket.

"Jesus Bubbles, I need that later."

Bubbles smiled sheepishly, "Sorry. So did you listen to the list I sent you?"

"Yeah. It's kinda how a figured out we were dancing today." Mara gestured to her clothes. She didn't wear them all the time, just the weekends that they did something particularly active.

"So are you finally going to tell me why you were so specific?"

Bubbles skipped around her and giggled, "There's a dance competition next week and I signed us up. They have cash prizes, but first place would also get a motorcycle, which I really wanted to give to JesJes."

Bubbles spoke faster as she got happier, but Mara was able to understand. Behind the bouncing ball of blue she saw Jester just shake his head, smiling slightly.

"I see, and did you happen to ask anyone about this? Or give anybody a hint?"

Bubbles stopped mid hop as everyone shook the heads. "But.. I just did. And everybody got a list." Bubbles looked at everyone with puppy eyes. Ginger smiled and shook her head, Stryker rolled his eyes and scoffed, and Jester seemed to be getting the music together since he had gotten p and started messing with a special electric panel he made.

"Please Agony. You're the best. You can have all the money, I just want the motorcycle."

Mara sighed and rolled her eyes as Bubbles stared up at her pleadingly. She looked over to Ginger for support.

"Don't look at me, I've already decided to do it. Stryker will be too." Mara peeked behind her to see Stryker pretending he couldn't hear while playing with a pocket knife.

"Oh for fucks sake, fine. Is it a group thing or..?" Bubbles interrupted her with a glomp hug.

"Ohmygod ohmygod YAY!" Mara pried her off to get some air, "It's kinda a group thing. Ginger and Stryker are dancing together, and me and Jessy are together, but you have your own list." Bubbles beamed at her brilliant idea. "That way, if things go well, we'll get all three top places and all of the cash, along with the motorcycle!"

Mara looked at her in slight shock, "That is smart, and devious, and borderline cheating. Jester is a horrible influence. Jester! Do you hear this?" Jester just shrugged his shoulders. Mara sighed in defeat.

"So you're in?"

"Yeah." Bubbles squealed with joy and hugged her again. Mara looked back to Ginger, who just shrugged.

"If it's any help darling, Stryker and I will be showing off first." She gave Mara a wink before waltzing off to pull her reluctant partner up on stage.

Mara shook her head and went off to the side to stretch, she wouldn't tell Bubbles, but she already knew how she would dance to her songs. She had to admit; Bubbles had good taste, and knew what Mara would dance to. Bubbles ran off to talk about costumes with Jester while he set up the songs for Ginger and Stryker. The lovely couple, on the other hand, was having a small spat about what would and would not be part of the routine. It seemed Ginger had already known about Bubbles plan, and Stryker didn't approve. Course, after a two minute fight and a quick make out session he just let it go. Mara just rolled her eyes and prepared for the long day of practice.

-/-

For those who are curious, they are all signed up for different parts of the competition. Ginger and Stryker are in the couples, Mara in solo, and Jester and Bubbles in a type of free style. It's not a formal dance competition; it's kind of a loose base, underground run thing. I pretty much have Mara's playlist down, but if you have any suggestions for her or the others, let me know. That way I can make a list with links for each, which you can listen to when you read the chapters, or just so you know what's going on J since I'm horrible and describing dance moves v.v


	7. Chapter 7

Second half of the previous chapter, it's short, I know. I'm trying to make the next one a little longer, so bare with me if it's a bit of a wait.

/

Pitch returned to his lair late in the day. He had been chasing the night around the world to bring fear to more than just Burgess, but it was very slow progress. Even when he took the form of a cultures most feared demon he was too easily written off. He could easily feed of the fear of the ignorant, destitute, and isolated, but it was never as much fun. He paced his lair as his foul mood rattled the cages above him. He knew it would be a while till his power to grow again, but to be so close to victory only to be knocked back to square one, his patience was wearing thin. He was the King of Nightmares, he was supposed to be feared everywhere, yet here he was, hiding from the light. Pitch growled in frustration, subconsciously rubbing his shoulder blade. He hated feeling weak in any sense of the word. He thought for moment, something to take his anger out on, something to amuse him.

*Maybe torturing my little slave will prove amusing.* He smirked to himself, watching her squirm really was a treat. He was also really curious about this girl, but he would never admit it.

Closing his eyes, Pitch focused on the sand that was in her possession. Once he found it he opened his eyes in surprise, it was with her, but she was in another city. Curious and suspicious, he melded into the shadows to travel to her location. Surely she was not naïve enough to think she could run from him. He regained his form in the deep shadows at the back of an abandoned theater. Looking around he recognized it as one that use to preform old plays late at night, he would come and watch when some of Shakespeare's darker plays were performed. His attention was brought to the light when he heard a familiar voice.

"Wow guys, that was really…. Sexual."

A voice smooth as honey replied "Well of course dear, it's supposed to be."

"It's your turn next Agony." Pitch sneered at the child-like hyper voice as he edge closer to see.

"Why don't you and Jester go next?"

"We don't need to practice here we do it at home. Besides, it's a surprise."

Now close enough, Pitch could see Mara shaking her head and a small blue-haired girl who was smiling proudly. Mara turned and walked back to the center of the stage.

"Whatever. Jester, would you mind playing in the order of three, one, two?"

A tall dark man nodded in understanding as the blue girl bounced down to her seat clapping like an idiot.

"YAY! Knock the socks off Agony."

*Agony?* Pitch eyed Mara oddly, eyes narrowing. *That is the oddest name I have ever heard given. And what are these children doing here?*

Pitch looked at the others seated. Three of them appeared to be in fact adults, but Mara and the blue girl were defiantly the youngest. Pitch sniffed in disdain, they were still children compared to him, only two actually carried themselves like their age. Pitch was about to leave the children to their play when the music came over the speakers. Normally he would describe it as overly loud racket and leave for a quieter place, but what truly commanded his attention was Mara. At first she didn't move, but the way she stood drew all eyes to her. As he watched with renewed interest, she began to dance. Her body moved to the music perfectly, as if the music came from her, and Pitch couldn't help but watch transfixed. The room faded away, the few people there disappeared, and to Pitch it seemed she danced only for him. As the first song ended, she used the pause to set the mood for the next. Pitch caught himself stepping from the shadows, stopping himself just outside the doorway he stood in. At the end of the second song their eyes locked. Mara held his gaze in the pause between songs, smiling at him in an inviting way as her dark eyes seemed to smolder with a playful fire. Pitch took a step back into the shadows as she broke contact to dance her last dance.

Who was the girl? That look, the way she danced, and the way he couldn't help but watch. All these thoughts ran through his head and he watch her dance to a song that seemed to have been picked for him perfectly. He snapped out of it when the music stopped and the other began to speak again.

*She is not all that she appears it seems. I will be following you a little more closely, little mouse." Pitch's eyes narrowed as if to direct his thoughts to her before disappearing again.

/

Mara stared at the doorway at the back of the theater. She swore she had seen Pitch watching her, but now she could see nothing back there. But how could she mistake those golden eyes, or did she imagine him?

"Woooow. That was awesome!" she was shaken out of her thoughts from a tackle hug from Bubbles.

"No darling, that was amazing. Were you dancing with someone in mind."

Mara stared at Ginger blankly before shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "What? Ah, no, I was just.. um.. feeling the rhythm."

Ginger laughed and shook her head, "No darling, there is a difference between feeling the music and dancing for someone. The first two songs, you were dancing for the music. That last song, you were dancing for a person. I could tell your movements, and your eyes." Ginger stared into Mara's eyes at her last sentence. Mara blushed as she knew she was busted.

"Alright, out with it. Who is he, because I know it's a different one."

Mara glare in a pouty way as Ginger called her out, Bubbles looked back and forth between them completely confused. Ginger sighed when she realized Mara would say until she was comfortable.

"Stryker dear, would you mind telling Jester what we discussed in another room please?"

Stryker glared back at the woman before motioning to Jester to follow him to the back room. Jester just shrugged before following him, looking at Bubbles one more time before they both disappeared in the dark. Ginger turned to sit at the edge of the stage and patted the place beside her. Mara sighed before plopping down beside her, Bubbles flopping down on her other side.

"So, is he at least real this time?"

Mara crossed her arms in defiance, "The last one was real and so is this one."

Ginger sighed, "Ok, so that means he's like the last one. Now explain what he is and how you met him."

Bubbles started to catch on and had scooted closer to Mara in anticipation. Mara sighed and twiddled her fingers together, trying to find the best way not to sound like a child.

"Well.. He's the embodiment of fear. Tall, dark, handsome, gorgeous golden eyes, feeds of people's fears, and he has me working for him."

"He sounds dreamy." The other woman looked at Bubbles as she clasped her hands together and wiggled with joy. *Probably thinking of Jester.* Mara thought to herself as she rolled her eyes.

"And why does he have you working for him?" Mara flinched slightly, Ginger never lets things go till she knows everything.

"Well.. Because I kinda, accidently, fell into his lair, where he threw me in a cage, and I had to make a deal with him so I didn't end up being torture for eternity." Mara rushed through her explanation with and awkward grin and shrugged her shoulders in helplessness.

Ginger sighed and shook her head, Bubbles was still in her own little world.

"I guess that's better than the ice boy who will never grow up. I just didn't think you would go so fast to the other end of the spectrum"

"Hey! I didn't mean to. I swear he cast a spell or something. Those golden eyes of his, that voice. I don't know why, but my heart has a spaz attack every time I see him."

"You masochistic bitch." Ginger smiled with a teasing tone, but Mara still shot her a dirty look.

"You should talk. You nearly tore Stryker's nipple ring off last time I saw you!"

"He deserved it." Mara stared at her but Ginger kept her head high in confidence as she continued.

"Anyway, at least you are actually moving on and finding someone new, Even if it would be frowned on in normal society." She smiled broadly as she hopped down and walked off. "Well I have to go, so you next week dear."

Mara just shook her head and smiled. "Hey Bubbles, it's getting really late, I should be going to."

Bubbles snapped back to reality and hugged Mara's arm. "Oh please don't go Agony. Spend the night instead!"

"I can't, what would Jester say? It's his house."

"I'll go ask him!"

Before Mara could stop her Bubbles had run off to get him. Mara rolled her eyes and went to get her things. She never minded spending the night, but she knew Jester worked an odd schedule, and more importantly, she had an unpredictable father who may or may not be home.

"You can stay over!" Bubbles shout rang out through the theater, making Mara's ears ring.

Mara hopped off the stage and smiled at Bubbles, "That's great, then let's get going."

/


End file.
